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This paper reports on empirical results about the influence of two different teaching designs on the development of tertiary students’ modelling competency and attitudes towards modelling. A total of 144 first year engineering students were exposed to a diagnostic entrance test, a modelling unit consisting of five lessons with ten tasks, enframed by a pre- and a post-test, and at the end a questionnaire on attitudes towards mathematical modelling. Similar to the German DISUM study, in the modelling unit, one group of participants followed an independence-oriented teaching style, aiming at a balance between students’ independent work and teacher’s guidance, while two other groups were taught according to a more traditional teacher-guided style. Linear mixed regression models were used to compare preand post-test results. The results show that all groups had significant learning progress, although there is much room for further improvement, and that the group taught according to the independence-oriented design had the biggest competency growth. In addition, this group exhibited more positive attitudes than the other groups in five of six attitudinal aspects.

Mathematical modelling competencies have become a prominent construct in research on the teaching and learning of mathematical modelling and its applications in recent decades; however, current research is diverse, proposing different theoretical frameworks and a variety of research designs for the measurement and fostering of modelling competencies. The study described in this paper was a systematic literature review of the literature on modelling competencies published over the past two decades. Based on a full-text analysis of 75 peer-reviewed studies indexed in renowned databases and published in English, the study revealed the dominance of an analytical, bottom-up approach for conceptualizing modelling competencies and distinguishing a variety of sub-competencies. Furthermore, the analysis showed the great richness of methods for measuring modelling competencies, although a focus on (non-standardized) tests prevailed. Concerning design and offering for fostering modelling competencies, the majority of the papers reported training strategies for modelling courses. Overall, the current literature review pointed out the necessity for further theoretical work on conceptualizing mathematical modelling competencies while highlighting the richness of developed empirical approaches and their implementation at various educational levels.

Modelling competencies are currently included in numerous curricula worldwide and are generally accepted as a complex, process-oriented construct. Therefore, effective measurement should include multiple dimensions, like the sub-competencies required throughout the modelling process. Departing from the characteristics of modelling problems as open and often underdetermined real-world problems, we propose to enrich the current conceptualisation of mathematical modelling competencies by including creativity, which plays an important role in numerous phases of the mathematical modelling process but has scarcely been considered in modelling discourse. In the study described in this paper, a new instrument for the evaluation of this enriched construct has been developed and implemented. The modelling competencies incorporating creativity of the students were evaluated based on the adequacy of the models and the modelling processes proposed, and the appropriateness and completeness of the approaches were evaluated in detail. Adapting measurement approaches for creativity that have been developed in the problem-solving discourse, certain criteria of creativity were selected to evaluate the creativity of the students’ approaches in tackling modelling problems—namely, usefulness, fluency, and originality. The empirical study was conducted among 107 Chinese students at the upper secondary school level, who attended a modelling camp and independently solved three complex modelling problems. The results reveal significant correlations between fluency and originality in students’ performances across all tasks; however, the relationships between usefulness and the other two creativity aspects were not consistent. Overall, the results of the study support the importance of the inclusion of creativity in the construct of modelling competencies.

STEM education has been promoted in schools worldwide to cultivate students’ 21st-century skills. Mathematical modelling is a valuable method for developing STEM education. However, in this respect, more attention is given to secondary level or above compared with kindergarten or primary level. Teaching mathematics at the primary level is closely related to authentic problems, which is a crucial characteristic of mathematical modelling activities. After screening 239 publications from various databases, we reviewed 10 empirical studies on mathematical modelling at the primary level. In this systematic review, we analysed the following three aspects: (1) the use of professional development intervention methods/strategies to enhance the intervention effects and the competencies of primary teachers to utilize mathematical modelling; (2) the effects of mathematical modelling on primary students and methods of improving their mathematical modelling skills; and (3) methods used to assess the modelling skills of primary school teachers and students. The results indicate that professional development interventions can enhance the teaching quality of mathematical modelling. The components of the interventions should include an introduction to the pedagogy of mathematical modelling, clarifying the role of the teacher and the student in mathematical modelling activities. Through mathematical modelling, students can generate mathematical ideas, explore mathematical theorems independently, develop critical thinking, and improve their metacognitive and communicative skills. The competency of mathematical modelling is often determined using formative assessments of teachers and students. Because limitations still exist in conducting primary-level modelling activities, schools should utilise more standardised assessment methods, provide universal teacher training, and grant more opportunities for primary school students to participate in mathematical modelling activities. The lack of research on cross-cultural contexts should draw the attention of future research.

This article reports on third-year mathematics students’ competency and sub-competency development through providing intentional support in the learning of mathematical modelling. Students often experience modelling as difficult, and obstructions in the modelling process can lead to a dead end. Literature reports confirm that the modelling task is central in the modelling experience and a carefully planned task, aligned with a suitable activity sheet, can be used as a scaffold in learning mathematical modelling. Hence, this inquiry was conducted to provide a scaffold, as strategic support, for students’ mathematical modelling competency development in the early stages of a modelling cycle. Guided by the framework of the Zone of Proximal Development, key elements suggested by the metaphor scaffolding are considered in the learning experience. Based on an analysis of activity sheets collected through group work, an example of a realistic and an unrealistic solution is presented, and students’ development of mathematical modelling competencies is argued. Finally, suggestions for intentional support in the modelling process are discussed.

Ever since the national standards for teaching and learning mathematics in Germany were published, investigation of ways to support students’ acquisition of mathematical competencies has increased. Results of these studies have been of special interest in empirical educational research. In this context, several recent studies have focused on the enhancement of students’ reading comprehension skills as a means of supporting students’ development of subject-specific competencies. Taking into account previous research, the empirical research project FaSaF investigated to what extent students’ mathematical modelling competencies can be fostered using a 15-week training in reading strategy. Treatment effects have been investigated in three conditions: EC A, integrated reading strategy training; EC B, separate reading strategy training; and EC C, no reading strategy training. Data from German secondary school students (N = 380) who were about 13 years old were analyzed. The results indicate that students who have participated in reading strategy training experience an increase in mathematical modelling competencies but that the same increase can also be observed in students who have not participated in reading strategy training. Thus, the issue of fostering the acquisition of modelling competencies using reading strategy training is still open for debate.

This article reports on third-year mathematics students' competency and sub-competency development through providing intentional support in the learning of mathematical modelling. Students often experience modelling as difficult, and obstructions in the modelling process can lead to a dead end. Literature reports confirm that the modelling task is central in the modelling experience and a carefully planned task, aligned with a suitable activity sheet, can be used as a scaffold in learning mathematical modelling. Hence, this inquiry was conducted to provide a scaffold, as strategic support, for students' mathematical modelling competency development in the early stages of a modelling cycle. Guided by the framework of the Zone of Proximal Development, key elements suggested by the metaphor scaffolding are considered in the learning experience. Based on an analysis of activity sheets collected through group work, an example of a realistic and an unrealistic solution is presented, and students' development of mathematical modelling competencies is argued. Finally, suggestions for intentional support in the modelling process are discussed.

The relevance of metacognition and mathematical modeling competencies to the development of good mathematics achievement throughout schooling is well-documented. However, few studies have explored the longitudinal relationship among metacognition, mathematical modeling competencies, and mathematics achievement. More importantly, the existing research has mostly focused on unidirectional effects with metacognition typically modelled as antecedents of mathematical modeling competencies and mathematics achievement. Nevertheless, the relationships among metacognition, mathematical modeling competencies, and mathematics achievement may be dynamic, and variables might reciprocally influence each other. Hence, we conducted a longitudinal study examining the reciprocal associations between metacognition, mathematical modeling competencies, and mathematics achievement. To this end, we recruited 408 seventh-grade students to complete a metacognition-related questionnaire and a mathematical modeling competencies test concurrently. This procedure was repeated one year later. A cross-lagged panel analysis showed four main findings: (a) metacognition in Grade 7 longitudinally predicted mathematical modeling competencies in Grade 8; (b) mathematical modeling competencies in Grade 7 longitudinally predicted metacognition and mathematics achievement; (c) higher levels of mathematics achievement drive the subsequent shaping of metacognition and mathematical modeling competencies; (d) There were no gender differences among metacognition, mathematical modeling competencies, and mathematics achievement. Finally, theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

This study investigated the relationship between preservice elementary mathematics teachers’ beliefs about mathematics and their mathematical modeling competencies. In the study, the belief categories of the preservice teachers were first determined using Q methodology and then classified into traditional and non-traditional belief. A Mathematical Modeling Competencies Rubric was developed in line with the literature and expert opinions. Three independent experts used this rubric to evaluate holistic modeling tasks that the participants completed. The resulting scores were analyzed using the Many-Facet Rasch Model to test for differences in modeling competencies among the belief groups. The findings revealed that preservice mathematics teachers with non-traditional beliefs demonstrated higher modeling competencies than those with traditional beliefs (χ2 = 84.7, df = 3, p < 0.001). In conclusion, the study highlights that preservice mathematics teachers’ beliefs about mathematics play a crucial role in developing modeling competencies and suggests that belief structures should be considered in teacher education programs.

Prior studies suggested close correlations among metacognition, mastery goal, and mathematical modelling competency. The present study examines the relationship between metacognition and mastery goal that may influence mathematical modelling competency. The current study employs 538 students of a mathematics education program; among these students, 483 (89.8%) are males and 55 (10.2%) are females, aged from 18 to 22 years old. The study follows a correlational research design to investigate and measure the degree of relationship among mathematical modelling competencies, mastery goal, and metacognition. Findings indicate that mastery goal positively affects mathematical modelling competency. SEM analysis indicates significant and positive influence of task- and self-approach goals on mathematical modelling competency, whereas taskavoidance goals are significantly and negatively related to mathematical modelling competency. By contrast, self-avoidance goals did not affect mathematical modelling competency. Task-approach goal is a positive partial mediator, task-avoidance goal is a negative partial mediator, self-approach goal is a positive full mediator, and self-avoidance goal is not a mediator between metacognition and mathematical modelling competency. In conclusion, metacognition positively affects the mathematical modelling competency of students, which is influenced by task-approach, task-avoidance, and self-approach goal but not self-avoidance goal.